


A Small Gift

by ProPinkist



Category: Akatsuki no Yona | Yona of the Dawn
Genre: Family, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Spoilers past 100+, Yona wants to be a good sister/friend to Zeno, Zeno feels, a good and creative title; what's that?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-21
Updated: 2015-08-21
Packaged: 2018-04-16 12:48:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4625901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProPinkist/pseuds/ProPinkist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yona has a lot to think about after discovering who Zeno is. That night, the two of them have a chat under the moon, where her feelings are laid bare. Zeno shows his acceptance of her in a way she never imagined.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Small Gift

**Author's Note:**

> Well, here it is, my very first fic. I have 8 so far, and all of them can be summed up by: angst (usally Zeno angst), extreme sappiness at some point, and super cliche at some point. Oh, and I have a tendency to overuse ellipses, and I'm bad with description and thinking up believable ways for the plot to happen (unless canon has already provided me the reason, as is the case here). This story came about from something I want to see happen in the manga eventually... and yes, the title comes from Chapter 110. I'm nervous, but I'll be happy if anyone enjoys it even just a little bit. ^^ Any critique/feedback is greatly appreciated.

Yona found Zeno in the exact kind of place she’d expected he’d be in.

It was rather similar to the way they had met and talked the night after the group had first found him (Yona wasn’t sure how she could remember such an event, since it had happened so very long ago... and yet, to her, it felt like it was just yesterday). It was dark, the moon and stars shining beautifully in the sky, and she was alone. Except this time, she had risen out of bed for the express purpose of seeking him out, since her thoughts had kept her awake... The other difference, of course, was that she now knew more about the golden haired boy than she could have ever imagined the first time.

It was obvious how shaken everyone had been earlier, after finding out Zeno’s true identity and about his powers. They tried to hide it, and Zeno pretended to be oblivious to it all as usual (not that she blamed him in the slightest this time). But it was impossible to not react in such a way. It was what had kept Yona awake all this time, as she tried to comprehend how long exactly two thousand years was... never aging, never being able to die, never wanting to get close to anyone for fear of losing them... and then, failing that, having to watch those same people grow old and die before your very eyes.

When Yona thought about how cheerful Zeno always was, and imagined maintaining that happiness after so many years, she felt tears come to her eyes. The thought that it was most likely a facade to hide what he really felt as a coping mechanism was even worse. _What if he tried to kill himself many times... but was unable to because of his powers?_ The mental image made her heart shatter. She didn’t truly know any of the other details about his life, besides the fact that he had been with the other original dragons, and that he said he had been married at one point... but it was enough. He had lost at least five people important to him in his long life, and yet he came out of it all... like _that_. It was true that sometimes Zeno annoyed the others a little, mostly Yoon with his obsession with food, but during his calmer, quiet moments, everyone felt relaxed around him. His smile was infectious, and when he promised her he would always protect her, she believed him without question.

They all loved him, as strange as he had seemed all this time... but now she knew how much he truly needed it.

But... it was true that they weren’t _his_ dragons. They weren’t _his_ family. It was clear how happy he was to have company again; he showed as much with the group hug in the tent. She smiled sadly at the thought. They were, but weren’t them at the same time. It was true they all felt nostalgic around him, though, especially herself. If she really thought about it, she was closer to Hiryuu than the other dragons were to their originals. There had been many, many generations of dragons between the original White, Blue, and Green dragons and Kija, Shin-ah, and Jae-ha... but she was Hiryuu’s first reincarnation. It might have been an extremely long time ago that he lived, but she couldn’t deny she always felt a warm feeling inside of her when she was near Zeno, that was more than just his bright aura. She had always brushed it off before, but now that she knew she was Hiryuu’s reincarnation... she got chills thinking about it.

And so, these thoughts were what had led to her awaken and discover that Zeno wasn’t in the tent (the hug earlier had led to her and all the dragons sleeping in one big cuddle pile, hoping it would make Zeno happy), and going out to look for him. Yona knew it was wrong to try and push him for more details, but she didn’t really want or need more. She just wanted to see him alone... though she couldn’t pinpoint exactly why.

She found the Yellow Dragon in a grassy field near their campsite under the moon (again, so similar to the first time). She hid behind a tree at first, just wanting to watch him for a while, his hair shining in the moonlight and the soft breeze blowing it gently, but she should have remembered how perceptive he was.

“You can come out, Miss. I know you’re there.”

Embarrassed, Yona stepped out from her hiding place and walked up to him, sitting down next to Zeno quietly. They both were silent for a long while, just enjoying the atmosphere and each others’ company. Zeno had to have known why she wanted to see him, but he didn’t say anything, and Yona began to feel awkward after a while. Finally, after a deep breath, she spoke.

“Zeno.... you like being with us, right? You feel... comfortable?”

She mentally scolded herself. _Yona, you said you weren’t going to bring up anything like this to him! It will just hurt him more_. ...But she also knew that it was inevitable she would slip up like this eventually. _Well, what did you expect? After what he told us, it’s pretty obvious what I would want to talk to him about. We’re all still reeling from it, after all, and it shows._

Zeno, as expected, put on his mask and smiled at her happily. “Zeno loves being with everyone! After being alone for so long, it’s nice to have some friends again.”

Yona bit her lip, thinking about how Zeno always called himself by name. _There must be a reason for that too..._ She shook her head, then smiled back sadly.

“I mean... even though we are not the friends you knew, it’s not painful to see our faces? It has to be...” _Too late to stop now; might as well go all the way._ Zeno turned to her and shook his head quickly, his headdress jingling. Then he grabbed her hands earnestly.

“No, Miss! Even if Zen- if I, did not live so long... they still would have been gone.” Yona noticed how he avoided using the word “died”. Zeno looked sad as he said this, but then brightened again. “This way, Zeno was able to meet a new family! ....It might have taken a long time, yes, but it was worth it!” He squeezed her hands.

Yona almost cried at his words. _He’s trying to be strong, to not make me or any of the others feel bad... I know it’s his nature at this point, but..._

She slowly pulled away from Zeno’s hands and put her own on his shoulders, as he cocked his head in curiosity.

“Z-Zeno...” she stammered. “I... We... all love having you with us. And it makes me so happy to hear you don’t mind being with us, too. But...” She knew she was going to regret what she said next, but continued on. “I-I want you to know that you don’t have to be happy all the time just for our sake. If you really _are_ feeling happy, then that’s okay. But if you ever are sad, truly... you can share it with us. I...I know we probably won’t be much help at all; you told us you were the original Yellow Dragon, but just that isn’t enough to comprehend everything about your life and how you felt during all that time. But, even if we’re useless to you for that reason... we could still just be there for you, and listen to you. Please? ...I just wanted you to know that.”

By this point, Yona had her head down, afraid of what she would see on Zeno’s face if she looked up. She had said exactly everything she had told herself _not_ to say around him, and she didn’t know how he would react. Would he be angry at her for telling him to lower his defenses, and to basically destroy what had to have been his entire personality for so long now?

Suddenly, she felt Zeno pull her into a hug, with her chin resting on his shoulder.

“Miss... you’re so much like him, it’s amazing to Zeno.” Although she couldn’t see his face, Zeno’s voice was watery, and it sounded like he was crying, if silently. _By “him”, does he mean...?_ “The King Hiryuu was just as kind, never hesitating to help someone who was in need, even if it was as simple as comforting someone who was sad.” He pulled away slowly, and wiped his eyes, his smile still bright. “I always knew you were him, but this only confirms it.” Hesitatingly, he reached out to weave his fingers through Yona’s red hair, which had grown back to about half the length it used to be. Yona tilted her head a little so her face was touching his hand, liking what he was doing. Zeno smiled serenely, matching hers. “Miss’ hair is so beautiful... just like his.”

“I never liked my red hair,” Yona murmured quietly. “Ever since I was little, I’ve never liked it, and especially not after...” She didn’t finish her sentence, not wanting to dredge up those memories yet again, and Zeno seemed to understand. “...And I don’t think I am worthy to be King Hiryuu’s successor. A king and a girl who cannot even officially call herself a princess anymore are two very different things.”

Again, Zeno shook his head. “Not true at all, Miss! As Zeno said before, what made Hiryuu special was not the fact that he was a king. It was in everything he did, everyone he helped, everyone he loved.” Another tear escaped from his eye at this, but he quickly wiped it away. “That is why everyone - and we - loved him so much. And that is why Miss is just like him, because she has already helped so many people and done so much.” He smiled confidently. “It doesn’t matter that you are not a queen, or even a princess, at this moment. You are like him in every other way, and that is what is important.”

To Yona’s surprise, he slowly unwrapped his headband and pulled off his headdress, which she realized now was actually just a necklace. It was beautiful, with beads all around it, and a large medallion that sparkled in the moonlight. Zeno held it close for a few seconds, his eyes closed.

“This was - _is_ \- Hiryuu’s. He gave it to me not long before he returned to the heavens, and I have had it with me ever since.”

Yona gasped at his words. To think that something so ancient could still be in such pristine condition... she could see how important it was to him. Then it hit her. _Wait.. “is”?_

Zeno reached forward and slipped it over her neck, adjusting it so that it didn’t hang too low on her, and then returned to his normal position, smiling happily. “It looks perfect on you, Miss!”

Yona gaped, still in shock at what he had just done, at the heavy weight on her neck. “Z-Zeno! I can’t wear this! This is priceless... you were the only one of us who knew him, so you are the only one who deserves to have it. ...Besides, who knows what I might do to it by accident...”

Zeno shook his head again, grabbing her hands at her attempts to take it off. “No! Please, Yona, it is yours now.” She started at his use of her name, and slowly put her hands down. “Zeno has always meant to give it to you... no one else is more deserving of it. I promise.” He grinned. “And Miss will never do anything to damage it... it is magical. Truth be told, Zeno left it in the castle when he left, and yet one day it appeared to him again all on its own.”

Yona’s eyes widened, and she smiled sadly, but happily at the same time. Well, if it had survived this long unmarred, than mostly likely nothing she might do to the necklace would damage it at this point. She held onto the medallion tightly and closed her eyes like Zeno had done. “Thank you, then... It’s a precious treasure, I will try my best to keep it safe.” Zeno smiled and nodded, satisfied, and turned back in the direction of the sky. Yona did as well.

“And thank you, Zeno, for talking with me... and somewhat enlightening me as well.” He might not have directly agreed or disagreed to her request to share his feelings with them from now on... but she wasn’t worried anymore after their conversation. Everything would be fine now.

“You’re welcome, Yona,” he answered back, his voice quiet but still happy.

Yona felt unbidden tears appear on her cheeks, but she didn’t wipe them away. She somehow knew they weren’t meant to be sad ones.

_You’re all right now, Zeno. You have a new family. Be happy._


End file.
